Improvement in springs for hooped skirts



UNITED .STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

THOMAS B. DE FOREST AND THOMAS S. GILBERT, OF BIRMINGHAM, CONN.-

IMPROVEMENT IN SPRINGS FOR `HOOPED SKIRTS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 74,672, dated February 18, 1868.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, THOMAS B. DE FOR# EST and THOMAS S. GILBERT, of Birmingham, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented anew Improvement in the Manufacture of Hoop Skirts;

and we do hereby declare the following, whenV taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a front view of one of the vertical tapes `with three springs attached; Fig. 2, a section of one of the springs enlarged; and in Fig. 3, a like section of a different construction.

This invention relates to an improvement in the manufacture of skirts composed of a series of springs attached to vertical tapes, and -well known as hoop-skirts, the object being to produce a lighter and cheaper skirt than has heretofore been done 5 and the invention consists in inclosing one or more iiat elastic wires within a covering, the said covering being, when sized, folded, and pressed, of greater` width than the spring, so that while it coniines the spring to its proper position within the covering, it gives to the spring the appearance of being made from a much broader wire than it in reality is, and admits of securing the springs to the vertical tape by means of a metallic fastening passing through both the vertical tape and the ma terial covering the spring.

In order to the clear understanding of ou invention, we will proceed to describe the same as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In Fig. 2 we represent the spring as two Hat wires inclosed within the saine covering, the wires being denoted in black. Various devices may be employed in covering the two wires. One, and, we think, practically the best, is to take a narrow strip of fabric, suflicient in width to surround the two wires, and form the space between the two 5 then the two wires with the fabric are drawn through an apparatus prepared for the purpose, the fabric being sized with any adhesive material,

and the wires sustained equidistant from each other, the apparatus folding the fabric over i the wires and pressing it down into the space between, the sizing being sufficient, or other sizin g being added, so that when thoroughly dried the wires will be sustained at their given distances from each other, one wire at each edge of the folded fabric. The wires may be very light and the fabric equally light, and, when completed, the article produced has the appearance of a broad spring.

Instead of the two springs, as seen in Fig. 2, a single spring may be inserted., as in Fig. 3, and the fabric guided and folded so as to leave an edge, A, of fabric upon the spring, as denoted in said Fig. 3. This folded edge, being sized and pressed, secures the wire in its position in like manner as rst described, and gives the like appearance of a broad spring, the sizing in all cases being sufcient to sustain that portion of the fabric at the edge of the wire, or between the wires; or, if preferred, and to give more material at the edge, a single spring may be inserted at one edge and a cord at the other edge.

To construct a skirt from springs thus formed, pass the springs B through the pocket in the vertical tape G, in the usual manner; then insert an eyel et, or other suitable metallic fastening, through the vertical tape, and through the fabric ofthe covering ofthe spring, as denoted in Fig. 1, and this may be done on the former, and the same means which secure the springs in the vertical tape may also lock the two ends of the spring within the pocket of the tape.

A skirt constructed in this manner has every appearance of'a strong spring, but is much lighter than the ordinary skirts, as the wire employed for the spring may be much lighter than that used in the ordinary manner, and the manner of attaching the parts together is of the strongest possible character. Other wires may be added to increase the width, but forming a space in like manner between Veach two.

We do not wish to be understood as broadly claiming the introduction of two or more springs into a fabric, as such is not new; but in cases when it has been done, the fabric has been rst formed into pockets for the reception of the springs, and the springs themselves covered separately and independent of the said pockets. This arrangement is seen in several Wellknown patents for the Whole or loWer portions of a skirt.

lt Will be observed that We do not in any way form a pocket in the fabric, the covering` being simply a folded fabric, the folds being secured by strong sizing, and pressed hard t0- gether.

Having thus fully described our invention, what We claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

THOMAS B. DE FOREST. THOMAS S. GILBERT.

Witnesses J oHN H. SHUMWAY, A. J. TiBBITs. 

